Ashwini knows some of the Hindu deities: Ganesh, Ram-Laxman-Sita, Hanuman, Shiva, etc.

On our last trip to the local temple, she came across a statue of Goddess Durga.

A: “Who is that?” Me: “That is Durga.” A: “Why does she have so many hands?” Me: “To hold all the things that she has.” A: “Why is she holding so many things? I don’t want her to hold so many things. What is she sitting on?” Me: “She always sits on a lion. Just like Ganesh sits on a mouse.” A: “I don’t want her to sit on a lion. Can she sit on a giraffe? I want her to sit on a giraffe.”

At this point, I steered her away from Durga and towards a more familiar Ganesh.